How I will fight insecurity as Anambra governor - George Moghalu, LP candidate

---

---

By Madu Obi

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP, for the November 8 Anambra State election, Dr. George Moghalu, has detailed how he would fight insecurity in the state if elected the next governor.

Addressing reporters in Awka, Moghalu lamented that there is so much insecurity, adding that something drastic has to be done to change that narrative.

He said: "The reality on ground is that the state is insecure and something drastic has to be done, otherwise everyone will be in trouble. So, no matter what anyone does to distract attention, the fact remains that the state is insecure.

In our 12- point agenda, we consider insecurity as very important. We can change the narrative and tackle the problem from different perspectives because it is a major challenge.

Apart from addressing the kinetic and non kinetic issues, youth unemployment, which is scary, there should be a data bank from where we should be employing the youths to fit into various sectors.

This is an era of technology and so we should bring in technology to fight crime. There should be central control system with CCTV cameras mounted all over Anambra to monitor the security situation. We will use drones to cover the map and locate the hideouts of the criminals across the state.

All the 179 communities in the state will be provided with trained vigilante operatives to serve as quasi police since we don't have state Police. We will document and properly train, equip and remunerate them so that when you see a vigilante operative, you will respect him. If this is done, you will see graduates joining the vigilante group and it will become an alternative force and credible."

Moghalu said there is no community in the state that doesn't have retired military and police officers who can form the backbone of the state vigilante.

"We will bring them to tap their knowledge and expertise to train our vigilante so that we won't have a ragtag outfit who wear tattered dresses and cover their faces as if they are criminals.

The worst thing you can do to a society is to arm an untrained person and pay him peanut. What you have succeeded in doing is to create a new wave of armed robbers.

If government cannot train them properly, they should be disbanded. For example, how can they fight crime with shuttle buses and old sienna vehicles? Government should buy brand new Hilux vehicles and equip them with modern security gadjects so that if crime is committed anywhere in the state, it could be detected immediately. This thing is not rocket science.

Also, the federal security operatives, like the police, military and civil defense, should be provided with life insurance coverage that protects them for life. Government should provide educational opportunities for their children and their spouses employment opportunities.

Those in business should be supported so that when they are posted to any part of the country, they should be assured that their welfare is guaranteed", he stated.

Moghalu also spoke on the recent war of words between the incumbent governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and the deputy governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Uche Ekwunife, describing it as very embarrassing.

He added: "The commentary coming out of Anambra State from among we politicians is a sad development and I believe that campaigns should be conducted in an orderly and peaceful manner.

There are many contending issues in our polity that we need to talk about. We should not belittle ourselves getting involved in personal commentary by casting unnecessary aspersions and using foul language.

As we approach the governorship election, we should concentrate on what we intend to offer the people. If we see things that are not working well in government, it places us with the responsibility of drawing the attention of the citizenry to those shortcomings and then proffer solutions.

I believe that what we should be doing at this time is to market ourselves and be telling the people how we hope to lessen their burden to make the society a better place and change the narrative in Anambra State.

Talking about mundane issues and qualifications should not form part of the campaign. We should concentrate on how we should deliver dividends of democracy to our people. As far as I am concerned, the issue should be how to make it better by providing alternatives.

There are infrastructure and erosion issues which are things that touch people's lives and not personal issues."